Bonanza (TV Series 1959–1973) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community. Creator: Little Joe falls in love with Alice Harper played by a young Bonnie Bedelia who he meets while rescuing her gambler brother John from a poker game gone bad. The two eventually marry and are expecting... 8.6 Hoss scares a bear that has treed a green-clad little man, subsequently finds a buried strongbox filled with bags of gold dust and, when both the treasure and its owner disappear, unsuccessfully ... 8.5 Clint Watson and his two sons are hired by Ben Cartwright to deliver nitroglycerin to Virginia City. The journey entails hardship, recrimination and tragedy.

8.5 a list of 42 titles created 24 Aug 2011 a list of 26 titles created 26 Apr 2012 a list of 46 titles created 11 Jun 2012 a list of 47 titles created 07 Aug 2012 a list of 31 titles created 1 month ago Search for " Bonanza " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards » Videos Marshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in the rough and tumble Dodge City. Stars: James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake The Wild West adventures of the residents and staff of Barkley Ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley. Stars: Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors Gil Favor is trail boss of a continuous cattle drive; he is assisted by Rowdy Yates. The crew runs into characters and adventures along the way.

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Paul Brinegar, Steve Raines Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts and Rocky Mountains. The first treks were led by gruff, ... See full summary » Stars: Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson, Robert Horton Bret and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Beau) are well dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game. Poker (5 card draw) is ... See full summary » Stars: Jack Kelly, James Garner, Roger Moore Frontier hero Daniel Boone conducts surveys and expeditions around Boonesborough, running into both friendly and hostile Indians, just before and during the Revolutionary War. Stars: Fess Parker, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton A Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s. Stars: Steve McQueen, Wright King, Olan Soule After the Civil War, nomadic adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the west looking for fights, women and bad guys to beat up.

His job changed from episode to episode. Stars: Clint Walker, Clyde Howdy, Chuck Hicks The cases of maverick undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta. Stars: Robert Blake, Tom Ewell, Michael D. Roberts Dressed-up dandy (derby and cane), gambler and lawman roams the West charming women and defending the unjustly accused. His primary weapon was his wit (and cane) rather than his gun. Stars: Gene Barry, Allison Hayes, Allen Jaffe The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Col. MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more ... See full summary » Stars: Doug McClure, James Drury, Lee J. Cobb The adventures of a gentlemanly gunfighter for hire. Stars: Richard Boone, Kam Tong, Hal Needham Edit Storyline The Cartwright's one-thousand square mile Ponderosa Ranch is located near Virginia City, Nevada, site of the Comstock Silver Lode, during and after the Civil War.

Each of the sons was born to a different wife of Ben's; none of the mothers is still alive. Adventures are typical western ones, with lots of personal relationships/problems thrown in as well. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu> 12 September 1959 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia Saturday=night ratings were dismal and the show was soon targeted for cancellation. Given one last chance, it was moved to Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. The new time slot caused the series to soar, and it eventually reached #1 by the mid-'60s. See more » Goofs The story of Bonanza starts in 1859 Nevada but the clothing worn by the cast is invariably 20th century . For example belt loops did not appear on men's trousers and jeans until many decades later. See more » Quotes [Hoss reluctantly agrees to serve as a temporary deputy sheriff] Deputy Sheriff : I'll swear you in. Do you?

See more » Crazy Credits In the opening sequence, when the actors ride on their horses towards the camera and are introduced, the order in which they are introduced is never consistent - this was most likely done to prevent a single actor from becoming the "main" star of the show. See more » Connections Learn from one of the best TV Westerns! 1 March 2005 | by mbuchwal (United States) – See all my reviews Feature film makers have many lessons to learn from this classic western serial. Although each episode was made on a small budget when compared to the Hollywood "A" features of today, all of the production values of great classic movies of the golden age -- painterly composition and design, emotionally effective acting, lyrical music, suspenseful storytelling, beautiful timing, strong dramatic dialogue, elegantly choreographed action, powerful themes, colorful period costumes, folksy comic relief -- all of these values were at a consistently high level from show to show, with never an awkward effect or a misfit scene. Each of the featured characters was drawn in a unique and stylish way, suggesting the storybook characterization that distinguishes the best of the Hollywood golden age.

Every one of the episodes stands well as a feature length movie in its own right and would look as good on the big screen as on TV. There's plenty of feeling, no padding or softness, and no mindless experimentation with technique or vulgarity such as has ruined so many westerns made since 1970. It's difficult to understand why an approach which succeeded for so long was abandoned in the 1970's by both television and feature film makers. Many producers turned instead in the direction indicated by spaghetti westerns. Compared to classic westerns like "Bonanza," spaghetti westerns were much less lyrical and took more of a gutter eye view of the old west, stripping it of its romantic appeal and substituting what to a misguided new generation seemed a dirtier and therefore more authentic realism. In retrospect, Hollywood gave up way too much for the little that it got in return. The success of a vast body of works similar in appeal to "Bonanza" (including many of the other action adventure TV serials made from the '40s to the '60s) is proof that there is a widespread taste that is radically different from the one which has predominated in Hollywood since the '70s.

Let's hope that one day we'll see the return of Bonanza's classic values to the screen. 43 of 51 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Ben Cartwright | Bonanza Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Lorne Greene Benjamin "Ben" Cartwright is one of the main protagonists of Bonanza. When he was young, he was a sailor with a dream to go West and earn his living in the wild. The God-fearing, Bible-quoting man built up his dreams on his ranch, the Ponderosa, with three wives behind and his future with his boys before him. Ruling his 600,000 acres of prime timber with the force of his gun and the love of his land, Ben watched the land around him prosper and towns build up before his very eyes. Having no regrets, Ben faced each new day with his strength from the last and his will to succeed. Contents Edit Cartwright was originally the first mate aboard the ship of his first father-in-law who lived on the East Coast of the United States, presumably New England. He married Elizabeth Stoddard, daughter of Abel Morgan Stoddard, a sea captain.

Elizabeth gave birth to his first son, Adam, but died in childbirth just hours after Adam's birth. While heading west, Ben was married to Inger, a native of Sweden. She was the mother of Ben's second son, Eric, who was nicknamed "Hoss" from birth. Weeks after, during a Native American attack, Inger was shot by an arrow while trying to defend the group by taking a dead man's gun and shooting. When Adam was at least twelve and Hoss was around six years old, Ben married Marie, a French American from New Orleans. Marie gave birth to their third and final son, Joseph, who was known as "Little Joe". Marie, however, was killed in a horse accident when Little Joe was less than five years old. Life on the Ponderosa Edit Ben resides on the Ponderosa, a cumbersome ranch in Nevada, near Lake Tahoe with his three sons, and a Chinese immigrant cook Hop Sing. He is shown to be a man who is honest, strict with his sons, sympathetic, and somewhat wealthy. He is also portrayed as a man who is good at fist-fighting, disarming gunslingers and knocking them into unconsciousness with little effort.

Personal life Edit Ben had three wives: Elizabeth (née Stoddard), Inger (née Borgstrom) and Marie. None of the three wives were around long enough to see their children grow up: Elizabeth died in childbirth, Inger Borgstrom was shot by an Indian with an arrow when Hoss was only a few weeks old, and Marie fell off of a horse and was killed when Joe was only five. In 1874, six years after Adam's departure, Ben adopts 14-year-old orphan Jamie Hunter, who came to live with the Cartwrights one year earlier. Bonanza Bonanza It’s hard to think of this show without that well-known Bonanza theme song immediately playing in your mind, and remembering the whole Cartwright clan riding across the Ponderosa. But I have to admit that, as a young teenager, I had something of a crush on Little Joe! Who could resist his character with that handsome smile and beautiful pinto horse? Little Joe and his paint horse were definitely the flashiest combo of the Cartwright clan! To help put you back in a "Bonanza" mood, click on the center button in the video box below to hear that great theme and see some good pictures of the whole clan!

Background of the Show The Bonanza tv show was set in the time during and after the Civil War, and was all about the Cartwright family which included the father, Ben, and his 3 sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. Did you ever wonder why those 3 brothers didn't look anything alike? That's right! Each one had a different mother and none of those women had survived! Wow; Ben had his share of bad luck in that department! Not wanting to mess up a successful formula, the show stayed consistent with that theme - any love interest that developed for a Cartwright man didn't last any longer than a cold drink on a hot day! Here's a little bit about the Bonanza cast - Ben (played by Lorne Greene) was the owner of the very large (1,000 square miles) and very prosperous Ponderosa Ranch, which was situated around Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Adam (played be Pernell Roberts) was the oldest son. He was an architect and built that great ranch house where the Cartwrights lived. Adam was handsome and always dressed in black - quiet, serious, the strong, silent type!

Next was Eric (played by Dan Blocker), but we all knew him as Hoss, who obviously got that nickname because of his size. He was a big guy who looked even bigger in his trademark 10-gallon hat. Hoss was gentle, sometimes naive, and not the brightest member of the clan! And then there was Little Joe (my personal favorite - played by Michael Landon) who was the youngest. He was hot-headed and, with his good looks and flashy smile, quite the ladies man! DID YOU KNOW? Bonanza came close to being cancelled at the end of its first year! But the fact that it was considered a "novelty" because it was shown in color made all the difference! RCA, the parent company of NBC, wanted to sell more color television sets so they used Bonanza as a marketing gimmick and moved it to a prime Sunday night timeslot believing it would attract more viewers there! Obviously they were right; Bonanza was in the Top 5 shows for 9 of its 14 years on TV. All About the Show Unlike the usual shoot'em-up, Bonanza was the first “dramatic” TV Western show.

The episodes were much more about relationships between the cast members and the guest stars than they were about hunting down the bad guy. Each episode usually had a serious theme to it, something "issue-oriented", built around themes such as racism, prejudice and social injustice. This was a first for TV because the networks were afraid of letters they might receive. Another first for Bonanza - it was the first Western to be televised in color. Each show mixed the adventures of one or two of the Cartwrights, their ranching and mining business, and an assortment of characters who crossed their paths in some way. The 4 main actors were considered equal stars but, in case you didn't notice, the credits were rotated each week so that top billing was given equally. A supporting cast of other characters also appeared in the Bonanza TV show.

They included - Hop Sing (played by Victor Sen Yung) who was a Chinese immigrant and the Cartwright family cook; Sheriff Roy Coffee (played by Ray Teal); deputy Clem Foster (played by Bing Russell); "Candy" Canaday (played by David Canary) who was the Cartwright's ranch foreman; Ben's friend Dusty Rhodes (played by Lou Frizzel); Jamie Hunter (played by Mitch Vogel) played the orphaned son of a rainmaker and was adopted by Ben in a 1971 episode; and ranch hand Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was a parolee in Ben's custody. DID YOU NOTICE THIS? From the third season on, all of the Cartwrights and nearly every other recurring character on the show wore the same clothing in almost every episode! Why? To cut down the cost of refiming. They could use the same footage over and over. Here's who wore what: Ben: Taupe shirt, brown leather vest, gray pants, creme colored hat and an occasional green scarf. Adam: Black shirt, black pants, black hat (sounds a little like a "bad guy"!) and occasionally a yellow trail coat.

Hoss: White shirt, brown suede vest, brown pants, and his trademark 10-gallon hat. Little Joe: Gray shirt, green corduroy jacket, tan pants, tan hat. And, from the tenth season on he also wore black leather gloves. Candy Canaday: Crimson shirt, black pants, black leather vest, black hat and a green scarf. The Cartwrights were America's favorite Western family for 14 years while the show ran from 1959 to 1973. But Dan Blocker (Hoss) died suddenly from a post-op bloodclot in 1972 and the show was moved from its Sunday night spot (crucial to success) to Tuesday night, opposite the new comedy "Maude". Many believe that Hoss was an essential character because he balanced out the all male cast, and that his loss had much to do with the show's cancellation. What Happened to the Actors? DAN BLOCKER died suddenly in 1972 from a post-op bloodclot following gallbladder surgery in Los Angeles. He was 43 years old.

Here's a little personal info about Dan Blocker: He was born in DeKalb, TX and was a big guy right from the start.... weighing 14 pounds at birth! He spent most of his boyhood years in O'Donnell, TX and that town has a bust of Dan on display in the O'Donnell Heritage Museum. He was married (wife's name Dolphia) and they had twin daughters (Danna and Debra) and 2 sons (David and Dirk). LORNE GREENE died in 1987 of complications from prostate cancer in Santa Monica, California. He was 72 years old. Here's some other info about Lorne Greene: He was born in Ottawa, Canada and his real name was Lyon Green. His deep, rich voice got him into broadcasting and, during the early years of World War II, he was known as "the voice of doom" because his reporting of the international conflict was so somber and dramatic.

In addition to "Bonanza", Lorne was in several movies and TV series, such as "Griff", "Code Red, "Battlestar Gallactica", and he had a number 1 hit record in 1964 which was a spoken (not sung) ballad called "Ringo". MICHAEL LANDON had 2 very successful series after Bonanza - "Little House on the Prairie" and "Highway to Heaven". He had filmed the pilot for another series when he was diagnosed with pancretic cancer and died in 1991. He was 54 years old. PERNELL ROBERTS starred in the successful series "Trapper John, M.D." after Bonanza. His last appearance was in an episode of "Diagnosis Murder" in 2001. Pernell died from pancreatic cancer on Jan. 24, 2010. Here are some more details about Pernell Roberts: He was born May 18, 1928 in Waycross, GA and showed his talents from a young age. During high school he played the horn, sang, and acted in school plays.

His involvement with music continued while he was in the Marine Corps, playing tuba and horn in the Marine Corps Band. His first professional appearance on stage was at the Olney Theatre in Maryland, in 1949, in "The Man Who Came to Dinner". Over the next 10 years he appeared in lots and lots of productions, including the American Shakespeare Festival, playing both leading and supporting roles. Pernell Roberts made his television debut in 1956 in an episode of Kraft Television Theater ("Shadow of Suspicion"). From then until he was cast in Bonanza in 1959, he had guest roles in many TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Sugarfoot, Have Gun - Will Travel, Route 66, Lawman, Bronco, 77 Sunset Strip, GE Theater, The Detectives, and Cheyenne. He continued doing theatre productions during this time and also co-starred with James Coburn in "Ride Lonesome". He felt a bit type cast by Westerns but some say those were his finest roles.

He had some reservations about the concept of Bonanza when he was offered the part of Adam Cartwright in 1959, mainly that 3 grown men were portrayed as adolescents needing their father's permission or approval for everything they did. But he accepted the role when he was promised that all 4 characters would be clearly defined with carefully prepared scripts. This never happened, according to Pernell, who considered himself to be a more "serious" actor. While he appreciated the success and popularity of the show, he said that he just didn't enjoy doing it. He fulfilled his 6-year contract and then left the show. Later episodes explained Adam's absence by saying that he was running the family ranching business on the East Coast, or that he was traveling in Europe, or that he was at sea. The last episode that Pernell Roberts appeared in was "To Own the World" which aired on April 18, 1965. The story line was kept open in case he wanted to come back, but he never did. Show Producer David Dortort later said that he didn't appreciate Pernell enough and regretted letting him leave the show.

After Bonanza he returned to his favorite medium, theatre, and played regional and circuit theaters as well as Broadway where he had the opportunity to use his accomplished singing and acting talents. He wasn't thru with television, though, as he continued to guest star in a variety of regular shows. In 1979 he returned to television in the starring role of Trapper John, MD until its final airing in 1986. He received an Emmy nomination for this role in 1981. Pernell Roberts hobbies were reading literature, cooking, swimming, running, and playing tennis. He was married 4 times. At the time of his death he was married to Eleanor Criswell, and he had only 1 child (with his first wife, Vera Mowry). His son Christopher Roberts was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1989 at the age of 37. What do you remember most about Bonanza? Please share your special memories of the Bonanza show and its great cast of characters. Bonanza Memories Bonanza (Series) - TV Tropes Criminal Doppelgï¿½nger : All four of the Cartwrights have one. Joe actually has two!

Shorty Slade from "The Gunmen", and Angus Borden from "Alias Joe Cartwright". Ben's "criminal twin" was a con artist named Bradley Meredith, whose schemes to gain control of the Ponderosa (usually through gambling) come when Ben is out of the area on business. The two episodes featuring Meredith aired as season finales in 1971 and 1972 (with another planned for 1973, had the series continued), and Ben always arrives back home in time to gather enough ammunition to run Bradley out. Cultured Badass : The Cartwrights. For all their salt-of-the-earthiness and willingness to get their hands dirty, the Cartwrights have fashionable town-clothes, a large, lavishly but tastefully decorated home and modern, expensive weapons. Ben Cartwright is also partial to fine French wines, Château Lafite in particular. Dark Is Not Evil : Adam's main outfit is completely black, occasionally with a splash of color, and he's probably the broodiest of the bunch. Yet he's still loyal to his family and won't hesitate to help anyone in need. Deadpan Snarker : Adam is typically the one to take on this role.

Death Glare : Ben Cartwright is quite skilled in death glares; a particularly outstanding one can be seen in the final scene of "The Gift". Defeat Means Friendship : Hoss and Arnie become fast friends in The Ape after fighting to a draw. Due to a misunderstanding, neither one of them knew what they were actually fighting over. Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe : Ben is occasionally seen with one, as befits both a patriarch and a former sailor. Distressed Dude : All the Cartwrights have found themselves held hostage at some point. Little Joe is certainly the worst offender. Downer Ending : It's not uncommon in dramatic episodes for a good character to die within the last minute of the episode's runtime. Early Installment Weirdness : The Cartwrights in the early episodes often confronted strangers in the Ponderosa in a hostile fashion with guns drawn. Lorne Greene convinced the producers that since the Cartwrights are such major landowners and a major business interest in the region, they logically would be more hospitable to visitors for economic, social and political purposes. Funny Foreigner : The Chinese Laborer Hop Sing — though nowadays , not so much .

The Gambling Addict : Helen Layton, who'd driven her husband to drink himself to death over her gambling debts, and latched onto Hoss as her new sugar daddy . When she was exposed, she left town with another man. In the 1972-1973 season premiere "Forever," Little Joe's tragic bride Alice Harper has a brother, John, who is a hopeless gambling addict on the run from a ruthless gambler named Sloan. Sloan and his henchmen kill both John and Alice when they break into the home of Joe and Alice Cartwright (when Joe wasn't home) in an attempt to collect the debt. Gorgeous Period Dress : Frequently, and often turns out to be the same dress . Green Aesop : Quite frequently. The Cartwrights took their stewardship of their land seriously, refusing to allow activities that were not sustainable (such as over-logging) and it was shown in multiple episodes that whenever they did cut down a tree, they planted a new one to replace it. Hangover Sensitivy : Little Joe in "The First Born" after he and Clay get drunk off pulque. Henpecked Husband : Enos Milford in "The Hayburner".

High-Heelï¿½Face Turn : Lotta Crabtree, a young actress from the first episode. Though she wasn't really evil to begin with, she was originally hired by a gang of crooks into seducing Little Joe so they can take the Cartwright property for themselves. However her feelings for him were genuine. This causes her to feel guilt and remorse for her role in the plot, and is even willing to go against her employers in order to help Joe escape. She is later seen at the end attending a dance with him and enjoying herself. Historical In-Joke : A few. The Cartwrights were directly involved with the invention of the honeycomb timbering for silver mines and the water pumping windmill, for example. In an early episode, gold prospectors were complaining about the blue clay that was gumming up their equipment — it was never revealed in-story that it was silver ore. Real life historical figures from the West - like Mark Twain, Albert Michelson, and Emperor Norton - would make guest appearances. Chronology their presence in the show is reasonably accurate historically. Twain's first appearance coincides with the time he was working as a newspaperman in Virginia City, Nevada.

Michelson is shown as a young Jewish schoolboy from Germany in the same town, subject to antisemitism, which he was in real life. Michelson gets an extra coda showing what he did in real life. Hollywood Healing : Considering the number of times Little Joe was shot/stabbed/trampled by horses/otherwise injured over the course of the series, it's amazing his body was still functional. And let's not even talk about how none of those injuries so much as even left a scar. Mountain Man : Jim Leyton. Never Going Back to Prison : Hoss once took in a prison escapee who was obsessed with never going back. Never Learned to Read : Child, in the episode "Child," was illiterate. Sadly, this means he went a long time not knowing what his name was (and going by "Child" because that's what everyone called him) until Hoss read the inscription in his Bible. Non-Idle Rich : The Cartwrights are the wealthiest people in Virginia City, but they're frequently seen doing menial labor around the ranch.

Not-So-Fake Prop Weapon : In one episode Hoss get framed for murder when the blank rounds from a prop gun get switched for real bullets and the blanks turn up in his saddle bag. During a friendly fencing match, the button covering the point comes off and Joe is very nearly stabbed. Only Known by Their Nickname : Candy's given name is never revealed. Additionally, Hoss is very seldom referred to as "Eric". Outlaw : Plenty make appearances throughout the series. Overprotective Dad : An occasional one who often causes more pain for their children than they protect them from. Not Ben Cartwright, though he is a Papa Wolf who'll do any for his sons. Papa Wolf : Ben Cartwright, especially toward Little Joe. The Patriarch : Ben Cartwright. Pony Express Rider : Little Joe becomes one in "Ride the Wind". Poorly Disguised Pilot : "Sam Hill" starring Claude Akins, a blacksmith who reunites with his long lost father. It was intended to jumpstart a spinoff series but it never materialized. Also "The Avenger," though not as overt as "Sam Hill" was. Posse : All the main characters have been in one at some point.

Real Life Writes the Plot : Dan Blocker's death in the last season. Really Gets Around : Little Joe is either seen or mentioned to be involved with upwards of fifty women over the course of the show, and his reputation as a reckless ladies man gets him into trouble quite a bit in the earlier seasons. Rearrange the Song : The driving, rock-oriented version of the theme song heard in later seasons. Recycled Soundtrack : Unusually for the time, averted - every episode had an original score (mostly by David Rose, although his scores tended to avoid the theme song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans). Combined with it being filmed in color from first show to last (a rarity for a series which began in 1959), it must have cost NBC a fortune. Safe to say they've made their money back now, however. Bonanza was actually the first television series both filmed and broadcast and color. Earlier shows had been filmed in color but broadcast in black and white (i.e. The Adventures of Superman ]] or broadcast live in color but recorded on black and white film (one episode of The Burnsand Allen Show ). Little Joe just can't seem to keep his feet off the table.

Hoss often can't remember which word he's looking for, and will look to Joe for help. Once happens while the two characters are debating; Little Joe provides Hoss with the word he's looking for, then they jump right back into the debate. A lot of people seem to think "Candy" is a funny name. He doesn't seem to mind. In the episode "The Flapjack Contest" poor Little Joe just cannot stop breaking windows. Scare Chord : Frequently used when a character pulls out a gun. Serial Romeo : All the Cartwrights have a tendency to consider the girl of the week to be the love of their life. 17 Facts You Might Not Know about Bonanza - Neatorama Neatorama • 21 In 431 episodes spanning from 1959 to 1973, the Cartwrights of the Nevada Territory's Ponderosa became a fixture of American life. Let's take a look at some facts that you might not know about Bonanza . 1. The historic Virginia City was the center of the famed 1859 silver strike known as the Comstock Lode.

It promptly became the very image of the Old West boom town, with fortunes won and lost, exploited Chinese laborers, glamorous and impoverished prostitutes, and violent struggles with Native Americans. Samuel Clemens worked as a reporter in Virginia City for two years and there selected his pen name of Mark Twain. In was this varied, colorful era and place that producer David Dortort decided would be ideal for the show. 2. When Bonanza premiered in 1959, the airwaves were saturated with sitcoms that depicted fathers as idiots managed by their wives. Dortort insisted that the show be an hour long instead of a half hour in order to ensure that he had time to depict Ben Cartwright as a father figure worthy of respect. It worked, and Lorne Greene received thousands of fan letters from teenage boys who wished that he was their father. 3. Dortort envisioned Bonanza as an Old West presentation of the legend of King Arthur. Ben Cartwright was King Arthur and his sons were his knights. 4.Did you notice that the characters wear the same outfits almost every episode? This was done to make it easier to work in stock footage when necessary -- not that the show was cheap.

At $100,000-150,000 per episode, it was among the most expensive shows on TV during its run. 5. Lorne Greene ’s father, Daniel Greene, made orthopedic shoes and boots for a living. He named his son after his first customer, a man named Lorne MacKenzie. When Lorne Greene delivered the 1971 commencement address at his alma mater, Queen’s University in Ontario, he gave the graduates advice appropriate for his heritage. Greene said “get yourself a really comfortable bed or a really good pair of shoes, because you’re going to be in one or the other for the rest of your life.” 6. Greene started out as a radio announcer. He was the chief broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and during the Battle of Britain, he was known as "the voice of doom." To time his speaking better, Greene invented a stopwatch that ran backwards. ( Video Link ) 7.

Most of the show's actors created musical albums, and all four Cartwrights sang in a 1964 album called " Christmas at the Ponderosa ." Greene was especially successful in this field, and his single " Ringo " was a huge hit in the US and Canada. But I suspect that you'd prefer to hear Greene sing the theme song to Bonanza, which is embedded above. 8. Pernell Roberts absolutely despised the show and tried to get out of his contract at the outset. It took him six years of steady resistance before NBC gave in. Roberts considered the scripts too low brow, demeaning to women, and indecently glorifying wealth in age of poverty. Roberts’ politics were strongly progressive by the standards of the time, and he pushed producers to have Adam Cartwright marry a Native American woman played by a black actress. 9. Guy Williams, who played John Robinson on Lost in Space , was the first choice to play Adam Cartwright. But Williams took up Zorro instead. Williams was, however, brought on for five episodes as cousin Will Cartwright. The producers invented this character to be a ready replacement for Pernell Roberts if he ever walked off the show. 10.

Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright) weighed 14 pounds at birth, then the largest baby ever born in Bowie County, Texas. By the time that he was in the first grade, Blocker weighed 105 pounds. While in college, he was recruited to play a role in a production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” that required tremendous physical strength. Blocker agreed in order to impress a girl who was in the drama department. He fell in love with the theater and eventually earned a master’s degree in drama. 11. There’s a museum devoted to Dan Blocker in his tiny hometown of O’Donnell, Texas. I visited it about a decade ago. Note: “O’Donnell” is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable; residents will point this out if you get it wrong. The dusty old museum is filled with memorabilia of O’Donnell’s favorite son, including the adult-sized clothes that Blocker wore at the age of eleven. 12. The character Hoss Cartwright was actually named Eric Haas Cartwright. The nickname “Hoss” comes from his middle name. 13.

Robert Altman wanted to give Dan Blocker a lead role in the 1970 movie MASH , but the movie's producers denied their permission. 14. Michael Landon (Joe Cartwright) was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz. He picked his stage name out of a phone book. Early in his career, Landon’s protruding ears were a problem and he taped them back. Later, he had cosmetic surgery to fix the problem. 15. Victor Sen Yung , who played the Cartwrights' cook Hop Sing, was actually an accomplished Cantonese-style chef, although he never cooked for the set. He didn't earn much money from the series, so Yung sold cookbooks and appeared on cooking shows to earn money after the series ended. 16. Land developers Bill and Joyce Anderson discovered that tourists visited the eastern side of Lake Tahoe in search of the Ponderosa, only to be disappointed. They saw a chance to make money, and so developed a large theme park at Incline Village, Nevada. It opened in 1967 and included a complete recreation of the ranch house. Portions of the show were filmed there, and it continued to attract fans until its closure in 2004.

Visitors could even get a full service Bonanza-themed wedding at the Ponderosa! 17. The Ponderosa / Bonanza Steakhouses are, as you can suspect, inspired by the television show. The Bonanza Steakhouses were started by Dan Blocker and the Ponderosa Steakhouses were started by businessmen in Canada. Both are now owned by the same company. Sources: Leiby, Bruce R. and Linda F. A Reference Guide to Television's Bonanza: Episodes, Personal and Broadcast History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001. Print. Shapiro, Melany. Bonanza: The Unofficial Story of the Ponderosa. Las Vegas: Pioneer Books, 1993. Print. Images: NBC, Byron Browne, The Traveling Wheelchair Bonanza: Scenery of the Ponderosa Photographs and content copyright ©2000-2016 RM & Bonanza: Scenery of the Ponderosa, all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited. This web site is officially licensed by Bonanza Ventures, Inc.

The name "BONANZA" is a registered trademark of Bonanza Ventures, Inc., and is used with permission. Bonanza Ventures, Inc., is not responsible for the content of this web site. The names and likenesses of the characters appearing in the "BONANZA" and "THE PONDEROSA" photoplays, and any images and pictures from such photoplays, are collectively the copyrighted and trademark-protected property of Bonanza Ventures, Inc. and NBC Universal, Inc. and are made available only for private, non-commercial use. Please take notice that any use of this material for any commercial use, or any unauthorized display, distribution, transmission or other use of this material, is expressly prohibited and constitutes a violation of the rights of Bonanza Ventures, Inc., and NBC Universal, Inc. All images from "BONANZA" are Copyright © 1959-2016 Bonanza Ventures, Inc., and NBC Universal Inc. All rights reserved. BONANZA™, ® THE PONDEROSA™, ® and all related indicia are trademarks of Bonanza Ventures, Inc. Used with permission. Bonanza Ventures, Inc.

is the official worldwide rights holder to the television programs created by David Dortort: "BONANZA" (and its prequel, "THE PONDEROSA"), and "THE HIGH CHAPARRAL." Any person or entity interested in doing anything related to these series and/or its characters must obtain permission first, and may do so by contacting Bonanza Ventures, Inc. through its attorney: Andrew J. Klyde TV ACRES: Real Estate > Farms & Ranches > Ponderosa Ranch (Bonanza) The dusty road ahead of me was callinï¿½ like a friend, My hungry boots were itchinï¿½ made to reach the other end, Where the land was free and the years turned slow With room for me and my son to grow And the west winds came, bearing that strange-sounding name, Ponderosa, Ponderosa ! My Adam was a yearling when we reached the Ole Missouri, And I labored day and night to buy a wagon and a team, ï¿½Cause my hopes were in a hurry, But suddenly my heart stopped me flat in my tracksï¿½Like that !

ï¿½Twas a woman, gay and pretty, sparkling with joy, And I wanted her to share my dreamsï¿½ Our wedding cake was as light as down, With a Valentine bride in a frosting gown, And she was all things beautiful, and a mother to my boy We started off together, on that February morn, Through Nebraska down to Kansas, Through the Spring and Autumn weather To the edge of Colorado, where my second son was born Husky, and jolly, and hardly ever cried, My wife named him Ericï¿½but I called him Hoss My life was full of happiness, too wonderful to tell, When, down upon our wagon train, there swarmed a savage hell, Made of crying arrows and dying men, And all my sorrows returned again, And the wind wept through the sky, Telling my dead Love goodbye, Ponderosa, Ponderosa !

I took my sons and mothered them, but fear had left its shadow, It seems they grew the farther on we went in Colorado, For the land rose up, and it stood on end, With a crown on top, cold and white, And the days were made of ridin,ï¿½ and a-slippin,ï¿½ and a slidin,ï¿½ And my boys wouldnï¿½t hide their fright, I would wake up in the night and hear them crying in their sleep, And Iï¿½d weepï¿½ But they never knew, and somehow, We got through From Utah to Nevada, it was easy all the way, We left behind that shadow, and it faded day by day, For the sweet winds heralded a laughing tune, The wagon wheels rumbled, ï¿½Weï¿½ll get there soon,ï¿½ And the ground all around, thundered that strange, rolling sound, Ponderosa, Ponderosa ! Virginia City ! Boomtown !

Brash, Bold town, Wired, Silver and Gold town, Where I worked, and I jumbled, and I watched my fortune grow, Till disaster dealt a hand I couldnï¿½t play Big Joe Collins was a friend, and my life wouldaï¿½ ended, But he saved it at a cost of his own, And his wife was alone, far away from the West, And I couldnï¿½t refuse his last request, I made the sad and weary trip, and told her how he died, And from the day I saw her tears, I couldnï¿½t leave her side, And the months flew by, like so many startled birds, We both seemed to know without uttering the words, And my friend would have wanted it so, And I brought her west, and she became lovely as a mother, So she gave my boys a brother, and we called him Little Joe Well, it was time to find my land, and to build a dream Iï¿½d planned, So I started off alone, and the wind led on me to a valley rich as Eden, Where the trees were like a pillar for a temple, With a wide, blue dome, and, all at once, I knewï¿

½ This place was home.

I asked an old trapper what kind of trees they were, But he went right on dragginï¿½ in his line, Then he raised his ancient head, and I shivered when he said, We call ï¿½em Ponderosa Pine And on half a million acres of that strange-sounding name, I staked my claim My sons have grown to manhood, as the years have drifted on, And each of them reminds me of a love thatï¿½s passed and gone, But the strength that flows from the earth and the pine, Warms my heart like a vintage wine, With a love rich and strong, For this is where we belong On the Ponderosa, Ponderosa Ranch "Bonanza" was the most popular western televison series in America. Little wonder its popularity should spill over into 86 foreign countries and be translated into 12 different languages. The Cartwrights - father Ben, and sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe - typified the Great American West. They were the "good guys" who always won out over the bad guys so that right and justice prevailed.

The Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada and beautiful Lake Tahoe were idelibly imprinted in the minds of Bonanza faithful when they were pin-pointed at the start of each episode by the famous burning map . In a short time, visitors to Nevada began making trips to Lake Tahoe just to see the famous "Ponderosa Ranch" which at the time existed only in televison scripts. In the summer of 1959 a National Broadcasting Company (NBC) television crew arrived on location on the north shore of Lake Tahoe to start filming a new western series, "Bonanza". "Bonanza" made its debut, with a "pilot" segment ("A Rose for Lotta") on September 12th of that year. It introduced to the vast television audience the "Cartwright" family: Father Ben, eldest son Adam, middle son - and a gentle giant of a man - Hoss, and the youngest son Little Joe. How the Ponderosa Ranch became real "Bonanza" had been on the air for almost four years when Bill and Joyce Anderson arrived on the scene at Incline Village, Nevada.

Bill's principal occupation at the time was to supply a large development company on the north shore of Lake Tahoe with equipment necessary to carry out their operation. As a sideline, the Andersons opened a riding stable to work in conjunction with the development company's plan to give visitors to the Lake Tahoe area varied recreational outlets. Anderson also stabled the horses being used in the Bonanza filmings. A "collector of things" all his life, Anderson brought in some wagons and early west artifacts that he displayed around the stable area. "Well," he admits, "it wasn't very succesful. The tourists were coming, all right, but nog to ride. All of them wanted to see the Ponderosa Ranch that was "burned off" the screen at the start of each show.

Most of the tourists were adamant in their belief that "this is the spot." All Anderson could think of then was "this has got to be the biggest piece of business chemistry I ever heard of." That's when he determined that he'd build the Ponderosa Ranch so that the thousands upon thousands of Bonanza fans who were coming to Lake Tahoe would not be "disappointed." It took some doing, but, in his own words "a gutsy sort of a guy," he finally got the officials of NBC and the principals of "Bonanza" to join in a venture to build the Ponderosa Ranch. Shortly after, an ambitious construction program got off the ground with the result that in the summer of 1967 the gates of "The World's Most Famous Ranch" swung open to the public. Anderson's predection that "people will come from all over the world to see it" proved more than accurate when more than a quarter-million visitors - many of them from foreign countries - poured through the gates. "It overwhelmed us," Anderson recalls, "but we did what had to be done.....

we took care of them." Virginia City and the Ponderosa Ranch "Bonanza"'s signature opening showed a map of the Ponderosa in relation to Lake Tahoe and Virginia City, Nevada. As the theme music swelled, the map went up in flames, starting in the middle and burning outward. If you judge by that map, Virginia City is just down the trail a piece from the Cartwright ranch house. In fact, on many episodes the boys would meander into town for supplies, have lunch and a couple of beers, maybe get into a fistfight and be home well before dark. Actually, Virginia City is a 45-minute car drive from the Ponderosa Ranch. It the fictional Cartwrights had really saddled up and ridden to Virginia City as the crow flies, it would have taken them "problably all day" to get there, says Ponderosa Ranch president David Geddes.

"You'd have to ride over the ridge behind the ranch house, down into the Washoe Valley, up over the next ridge and down into another valley." Not Virginia City, but Incline Village is near the Ponderosa Ranch of the Cartwright's A Rip Roarin' Western Experience How do you improve upon a success story such as the Ponderosa Ranch? Well, if you're the owners, Bill and Joyce Anderson, you continue to do what you have been doing... only better. Their philosophy, when the Ranch opened its gates back in 1967, was to see that every visitor always "got its money's worth." That is still their first priority. And one of the ways they have managed this over the years is to continue to develop the Ranch in keeping with the legend of the Cartwrights, BONANZA, and the portrayal of the Ponderosa Ranch as the early Western American way of life. Nowadays there are a variety of activities at the Ponderosa Ranch that, collectively, have made it one of the most popular attractions in the West. One project being considered for the immediate future is the reconstruction of the "Great Incline Tramway".

It's a little publicised fact, but the original village of Incline was situated right on the land where the Ponderosa Ranch has been developed. It derived its name "Incline" from a 4000-foot long, 1400-foot vertical rise alpine funicular double track, narrow gauge railway that ran straight up the mountain from the exact area where the Ponderosa Ranch parking lot is now located. The railroad was used to transport logs from the lush Tahoe forests to the top of the mountain, there "flumed" to Washoe Valley on the other side, and thence on to the Comstock where they ended up in the maze of mines honeycombing the Virginia City hills. Reconstruction of the railroad was one of the first things to be done at the Ranch when the Andersons and NBC joined forces. The death of Dan Blocker (Hoss) in 1972 however, caused the whole project to be shelved for consideration at some time in the future. Bill Anderson says that time is "now." And there's more to do on the Ponderosa Ranch...

Question: What was the name of the Cartwright's ranch in Bonanza
Answer: The Ponderosa